Offaly Cross Country wins for Donnellan and Minnock

On a beautiful autumn morning, on the 12^th of October, Day 2 of the Offaly Cross Country Championships took place once again at the Faithful Fields, Kilcormac, proudly hosted by Tullamore Harriers.

The day began with the Senior races which on this occasion was the Master Ladies 4k, followed immediately by the Master Men’s 6k. In the masters’ categories there are medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the Over 35, Over 50, Over 60, Over 70, and Over 80 age groups, as well as team medals in the Over 35 and Over 50 categories for both men and women.

Master Ladies 4k

35 ladies lined up representing Tullamore Harriers AC, Ferbane AC, Edenderry AC, Rhode AC, Ballyskenach AC and Clara AC with some having competed last week in the novice races and some making their cross-country debut also. 
From the whistle, Caroline Donnellan of Edenderry AC took the early lead, closely followed very tightly by Maire Triona Keane and Ciara Lee Whittle, with Niamh McEnhill, the Offaly Novice champion of 2025 just behind. It was great to see Caroline back in action following her long absence due to injury. Charlotte Abbott led the chasing pack and quickly began to make her move through the field and had the stand out performance of the race. 
As the race unfolded, Charlotte steadily picked off the runners ahead of her. Caroline maintained her strong pace at the front to secure the win, but with 1,000 metres to go, Charlotte surged past Maire Triona, holding on superbly to finish second. Maire Triona claimed third in what proved to be an exciting and competitive race from start to finish. Our veteran competitors, Jim Langan and John Bennett, competed alongside the ladies in the 4k distance, both delivering inspirational performances once again. Jim took the O80 win and John (Ferbane AC) was the O70 champion.

Results:

Caroline Donnelan Edenderry AC 16.27 1st O50
Charlotte Abbott Tullamore Harriers AC 16.44 1st O35
Maire Triona Keane Tullamore Harriers AC 16.47 2nd O35
Niamh McEnhill Tullamore Harriers AC 16.53 3rd O35
Ciara Lee Whittle Naomh Mhuire AC 16.59
Nita McLoughlin Tullamore Harriers AC 17.25
Michelle Mullaney Tullamore Harriers AC 17.45
Denise Coghill Ferbane AC 17.58
Mairead Scally Naomh Mhuire AC 18.07
Edel Waldron Ferbane AC 18.23
Ailbhe McDonnell Ferbane AC 18.34
Dympna O'Hara Naomh Mhuire AC 18.41 2nd O50
Catriona Guinan Ferbane AC 19.28
Hilary Duncan Tullamore Harriers AC 19.28 3rd O50
Marie Donegan Tullamore Harriers AC 20.08 1st O60
Mary Galvin Tullamore Harriers AC 20.09 2nd O60
Freda McNamee Naomh Mhuire AC 20.33
Ruth Sheils Ballyskenach AC 20.34
Patricia Doolan Naomh Mhuire AC 20.41
Rosemary Jenkins Rhode AC 21.07
Pauline Colgan Naomh Mhuire AC 21.41
Tracy Burns Naomh Mhuire AC 21.41
Karen Kilduff Clara AC 21.44
Liz McNevin Edenderry AC 22.52
Leona Farrell Edenderry AC 23.02
Sandra Busteed Tullamore Harriers AC 23.08
Claire Nugent Ferbane AC 23.13
Jane Farrell Edenderry AC 23.35
Olive Mannion Tullamore Harriers AC 23.49 3rd O60
Marie Greene Ferbane AC 23.54
Ann-Maria Egan Ferbane AC 23.56
Malgorzata Jasinska Clara AC 24.07
Sinead Bracken Naomh Mhuire AC 24.52
Lucy Devery Ferbane AC 25.46  

Team Results:

O35 Team t
1st - Tullamore Harriers AC - Charlotte Abbott, Maire Triona Keane, Niamh McEnhill, Nita McLoughlin
2nd - Ferbane AC - Denise Coghill, Edel Waldron, Ailbhe McDonnell, Catriona Guinan
3rd - Naomh Mhuire AC – Ciara Lee Whittle, Mairead Scally, Dympna O'Hara, Tracy Burns

O50 Team
1st - Tullamore Harriers AC - Hilary Duncan, Marie Donegan, Mary Galvin.
2nd – Naomh Mhuire AC – Freda McNamee, Patricia Doolan, Sinead Bracken

Master Men 6k

The men’s race covered four laps of the 1,500m loop, and it was Harry Lupton Ballyskenach AC, Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC, who immediately took to the front, setting a blistering pace. The duo quickly opened a substantial gap on the main pack and at one stage, stretching their lead to nearly 800 metres.
Behind them, there were impressive performances from Harry's brother Tom, Jonathan Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC and William Delahunty Ballyskenach AC who formed a strong chasing pack. 
Out in front, the battle between Harry and Kevin kept spectators on their toes. Harry held a slight advantage for most of the race, but with 900 metres to go, Kevin launched a decisive surge. The excitement built as the two men powered around the final bend for a thrilling sprint finish. Kevin found one final burst of speed to edge ahead and claim victory by the narrowest of margins - a brilliant, hard-fought contest that had everyone cheering.
It was another fantastic race filled with determination and excitement from start to finish. Congratulations to all the athletes who competed, and especially those who are new to cross country competition.

Results:

Kevin Minnock Tullamore Harriers AC 19.51 1st O35
Harry Lupton Ballyskenach AC 19.53 2nd O35
Tom Lupton Ballyskenach AC 21.11 3rd O35
Jonathan Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC 21.19
William Delahunty Ballyskenach AC 21.31
Kevin Looby Naomh Mhuire AC 22.57
Patrick McCarthy Ballyskenach AC 23.14
Declan Murphy Naomh Mhuire AC 23.36
Mark Barrett Ferbane AC 23.56
Brendan Abbott Tullamore Harriers AC 24.03 1st O60
Alan Mitchell Tullamore Harriers AC 24.11 1st O50
David Hollywood Tullamore Harriers AC 24.18
Fergal Leonard Tullamore Harriers AC 24.21
Jody O'Reilly Tullamore Harriers AC 24.28 2nd O50
Liam Byrne Tullamore Harriers AC 24.38 3rd O50
Alan Heffernan Tullamore Harriers AC 24.54
Peter Mutiso Naomh Mhuire AC 25.08
Howard Hendy Ballyskenach AC 25.09
Kevin Brazil Ferbane AC 25.18 2nd O60
Donal White Ballyskenach AC 25.19
Joe Carroll Ferbane AC 25.25
Justin Murtagh Tullamore Harriers AC 25.32
Sean Bull Edenderry AC 25.36
Liam Dunne Tullamore Harriers AC 25.39   3rd O60
James Donoghue Edenderry AC 25.59
John Kirwan Naomh Mhuire AC 26.19
Tim Camon Ferbane AC 26.27
Sean Og Farrell Edenderry AC 26.36
Sean Reynolds Tullamore Harriers AC 26.43
Dermot Egan Ferbane AC 27.04
Vincent Sheils Ballyskenach AC 27.19
Sergio Contreras Clara AC 27.39
Francis Connolly Ferbane AC 27.45
Gordon Kerrigan Rhode AC 28.38
Michael Guinan Ferbane AC 28.57
Finbar Redmond Edenderry AC 29.44
Neil Davidson Banagher AC 30.04
Claudiu Dan Poinana Edenderry AC 33.51
Patrick Greene Ferbane AC 33.56
Richard Farrell Edenderry AC 33.47
John Bennett Ferbane AC 4k - 24.31  - 1st O70
Jim Langan Tullamore Harriers AC 4K - 31.26  - 1st O80  

Team Results

O35 Team
1st - Ballyskenach AC - Harry Lupton, Tom Lupton, William Delahunty, Patrick McCarthy
2nd - Tullamore Harriers AC - Kevin Minnock, Jonathan Dunne, Brendan Abbott, Alan Mitchell
3rd - Naomh Mhuire AC- Kevin Looby, Declan Murphy, Peter Mutiso, John Kirwan

O50 Team
1st - Tullamore Harriers AC - Jody O'Reily, Liam Byrne, Alan Heffernan
2nd - Ferbane AC - Kevin Brazil, Tim Camon, Francis Connolly

3^rd – Edenderry AC – James Donoghue, Sean Og Farrell, Finbar Redmond.
As always, we wish to thank all the officials and to those who helped in any way to prepare for the event.  Thank you to Offaly Civil Defence for being in attendance and to Freda from Tus Maith for providing excellent coffee and treats.

We look forward to Day 3 of the Offaly Cross Country Championships next month

Galway Bay Half Marathon and 10K

On Saturday, October 11th, four of our athletes took part in the Run Galway Bay events, which included the full marathon, half marathon, and 10K. The races took place on scenic looped routes along the coastline at Salthill.

The event, originally scheduled for the previous weekend, had been postponed due to stormy weather, but conditions were perfect for running this time around.

In the Half Marathon, we had strong performances from:

Tracey Kinnarney -1:55:45

Naomi Galvin- 1:56:47, a great confidence boost ahead of her Dublin Marathon in two weeks’ time

Jenna Stack - 1:57:55

In the 10K, Paschal Naughton ran an excellent time of 51:10.

Fantastic running by all.

Solas 10K

Well done Melissa Hogan who competed in the Solas 10k Run & Walk for Life in Dungarvan on October 11th. Melissa joined over 3000 participants in aid of the Solas Cancer Support Group.

SEE NEXT: Fixtures made for last of Offaly GAA championships

Fixtures

Sunday 19^th October - Autumn Open & National Juvenile Club Relays @Sport Ireland Campus, Dublin

Saturday 25^th October – Leinster Novice, U20 & Juvenile Even Ages @Gowran, Co Kilkenny

Senior Training

Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.40pm to 8.30pm.

For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita

0868386687